


Come To The Show Tonight

by Luv_Bowie_Luver



Category: David Bowie (Musician)
Genre: F/M, Smut, Strong Language, mild violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-16
Updated: 2015-05-18
Packaged: 2018-03-30 19:28:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 8,892
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3948814
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Luv_Bowie_Luver/pseuds/Luv_Bowie_Luver
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>David Bowie is trying very hard not to develop a crush on one of his fans, but he's not succeeding and to make matters worse, she has a boyfriend. A jealous, angry boyfriend...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. At Tour's End

The nervous feeling of butterflies in his stomach still occurred before every show, interview or concert. Once he was up there, however, he became another person that even his closest friends failed to recognize. The fans came for the music, for his voice and maybe a glimpse of some exposed part of his body if he got playful enough with them. Their screams and outstretched hands always thrilled him, made him smile and sometimes even blush. As he stood in the wings while the band warmed up onstage, he could already hear his name being chanted over and over.  
  
  
"Bowie! Bowie! Bowie!"  
  
  
Would she be there again tonight? His heart leapt into his throat at the mere thought of her, the nameless face in the crowd who he'd seen at every single show of the tour so far. Always in the front row, almost always in, or close to, the same seat. The lights went dark and he tripped going up the little steps, but nobody saw and he continued on towards the mic stand. David licked his lips, his heart pounding as the crowd fell silent and then the lights came back on. When they saw him, the audience screamed with a near deafening roar and he smiled shyly at them. The crowd was in darkness, so he could not see anything out there and it only served to soothe his nerves as the first intro began to play. He knew the exact moment the audience would be lit up, it was the final show of the tour and he had learned when to look for her. Three more beats and he glanced down, his eyes sweeping the front row as the lights flashed out over his many fans.  
  
  
His gaze locked with hers and he grinned at her, she beamed her beautiful smile right back at him and then the darkness enveloped her once more. The song ended and the usual eruption of cheers and applause ensued, he thanked them quickly and the next song intro started up. His palms were sweating, so he took off his jacket and endured the squealing and wolf whistling as he tossed it aside. He had to see her again, so he took the mic from the stand and approached the edge of the stage. The light followed him and swept over her face, lighting up her eyes and his heart fluttered. She reached out to him, as did many others and he tried to grab her hand but he couldn't get past the other hands that were clawing and grasping at him. David stood back up and retreated, taking the light with him and the woman was shrouded in darkness once again.  
  
  
His thoughts drifted to the end of this show, he wouldn't see her again and it bothered him. It shouldn't bother him, he could have any woman just by asking for her phone number but this one had grown on him. He'd seen her there, each and every show and he didn't even know her name. She was probably married, or had a boyfriend who was really big and probably the jealous, punchy type, too. He smiled at the fans again, he could only just hear them but they were definitely singing along with him and he really loved that.


	2. A Reason To Celebrate

All too soon it was nearly time to finish up, perform one last song and go out to celebrate with his crew. David took the mic off the stand again, walked to the edge of the stage and dropped to his knees. Hands instantly groped at him, grabbed his sleeves and pulled at his arms. He could already hear security coming, their heavy boots thumping along the stage floor towards him. He reached out to her, she took something out of her pocket and thrust it into his palm. His fingers curled tightly around it and he felt himself being hauled back onto the stage, he slipped the piece of paper the woman had given him into his pocket and the show was over.  
  
  
Screams of " _We want more!_ " could be heard, even after he was backstage in his room to recover. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the slip of paper, unfolding it carefully to reveal a handwritten phone number. David smiled, his breathing still heavy from the show and sweat trickling down his forehead from the hot stage lights. He would keep this number with him and call it when things had calmed down, but he knew that at any moment he would be crowded by his friends and crew and be dragged off to the local watering hole to celebrate. So he tucked it back into his pocket safely, mopping his brow and swigging a drink of cold water.  
  
  
His door burst open and everyone came in, smiling and patting his back. He stood up at their urging and they all went out for drinks to farewell the tour and just get plain hammered.  
  
  
*  
  
  
Hours later, David was easily drunk and staring out across the room. His heart leapt into his throat when he thought he saw her, that face from the front row but he couldn't be too certain because it was merely a brief glimpse before the dancing crowd blocked his view. David got up and pushed his way through the crushing bodies, but when he got to where he thought he had seen her, she was gone.  
  
  
He had promised himself after he'd seen her for the third time in a row, that he wouldn't take it too seriously but halfway through the tour; he'd come to expect to see her at every single show. She hadn't disappointed him and he was struggling hard not to just grab the nearest phone and call her at 2am right now. Tomorrow, he thought, I'll give her a call tomorrow..  He felt someone pull at his arm and he turned, a body was pressed against him and a mouth was kissing his neck. He felt too drunk to push them off, so he closed his eyes and put up with it.  
  
  
*  
  
  
By morning, David was in his hotel room and passed out on the bed. He woke up slowly, blinking himself back into consciousness. He couldn't remember getting back to the hotel, or who had helped him to get there but he did remember drinking a lot and he now suffered the hangover to prove it.


	3. First Impressions

David rolled over with a groan as his head started to thump, he got out of bed and braved his way out of the room to have a quick shower.  
  
  
Then he ventured downstairs and got himself a hot, strong cup of coffee and sat down to drink it in the lounge of the hotel. It was quiet today and he appreciated the lack of loud noises as his headache began to calm down. There had been a strong feeling of nausea when he'd first awoken but somehow he had managed to quell that without needing to throw up. His gaze drifted over to the pay phone on the wall, but every time he thought of calling the number he'd been given, he hesitated. What would he say?  
  
  
He took another mouthful of coffee, he was nervous and he didn't want to let it show. Leaning back and looking around casually, he noticed some people sneaking photos of him from the lobby. He picked up his coffee and retreated back upstairs to his hotel room for some privacy, he just wasn't ready to deal with the public yet. As he set down his coffee, he looked over at the phone that sat on the counter by the far wall. He walked over to it and picked it up, but again he faltered and wondered what the hell to say to her. Finally, David took a deep breath and punched in the numbers. It started to ring, he couldn't back out now.  
  
  
"Hello, this is Liz!" came a bright voice. But was it her?   
  
  
"Liz, hi.. this is David Bowie.. " he closed his eyes and grimaced, thinking he probably could have delivered that line a little better if he'd just bothered to practice first. It went silent on the other end and he thought perhaps she'd hung up on him, he was about to put the phone down; when he heard another voice.  
  
  
"David?" it sounded different from Liz's voice and he opened his eyes again.  
  
  
"Hello, who is this?" he asked the woman.  
  
  
"Oh my gosh, it really _is_ you!" the woman gasped, "I'd recognize your voice _anywhere!_ " David smiled, blushing lightly.  
  
  
"Yeah, you're probably sick of hearing it by now," David joked with a nervous chuckle.  
  
  
"So you call me and make me listen to it some more?" asked the woman. David hesitated, wondering if perhaps it was just a bit too soon to have called. He steeled his nerves and put on his cheeky bravado, which was quite easy on the phone when nobody could see how shaky his hands were.  
  
  
"That's right," he finally spoke again, "and I'll only call again if you don't agree to meet up with me sometime."   
  
  
"I suppose I've got time for that later on today," the woman replied calmly, "where should I meet you?"  David was curious at how well composed she was, he had anticipated a lot of squealing and jumping up and down.  
  
  
"There's a small coffee shop on first," David replied, "it's over by the fountain.. "    
  
  
"I know the one," the woman said quickly, "let's say, one?"    
  
  
"One it is," David agreed.   
  
  
"Okay," the woman replied, "I'll see you there at one."   
  
  
"But.. " David heard the click and the call had ended. He set down the phone and sighed heavily, she hadn't even told him her name. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea afterall, he felt as though he were just bothering the poor woman and she didn't have the heart to tell him no. Still, he wandered over to his suitcase and rummaged around for something else to wear. He wanted to make a good impression on her, but he didn't want to seem like he was trying too hard.  
  
  
Finally settling on something suitable after several outfit changes, David grabbed up his wallet and put on his wristwatch. Glancing at the time, he swore under his breath and hurried downstairs to catch a cab. Of course, try as he might, he just could not get one to stop for him.


	4. Waiting To Meet You

David lit up a cigarette and glanced over his shoulder, taking note of a big man in a black suit who wore an earpiece. He wandered over, lifting a brow in silent questioning. The man nodded and David followed him to a sleek, black car and climbed in.  
  
  
This was Will, one of David's personal security team. David gave him directions to the little cafe and then sat back, cracking open the window so he didn't smoke out the car too much and hoping he wouldn't be late.  
  
  
*  
  
  
Once they arrived, David then had another problem. He hadn't anticipated the street would be this busy with people, or he would have remembered to bring his hat and sunglasses. Taking a deep breath, he got out of the car and tried to be casual about approaching the cafe doors. Somehow, he managed to get inside unmolested and he quickly cast his gaze around but he couldn't see the familiar face from the crowd. Choosing a booth in the corner, David sat down to wait for her to arrive, if she even remembered to bother coming to meet him.  
  
  
She hadn't seemed all that interested, but he simply _had_ to see her again. He looked down at his watch after some time had passed, it was almost two. Where could she be? Suddenly, the door opened and he glanced up with a thump of his heart. She looked around, her face turning towards him and he knew at once that it was her. He was filled with both relief and a sudden onset of nerves all over again.


	5. Kyra

Kyra had woken up that morning with a deflated sense of boredom. The last few weeks had been so exciting, following David Bowie to every single show of his tour and staying in hotels or sleeping in her car when she didn't have anywhere else to go. Last night was her last chance to give him her number, because waiting outside of the venues had proved fruitless due to the amount of security that swarmed around him when he made his dash for the car after the show. She lay staring at the ceiling and sighed heavily, it'd been a genius plan to get his attention by appearing in almost the same seat every single show and it had worked. Among the sea of faces, it was easy to get lost in the crowd but he had noticed her and his interest seemed to grow with each time their eyes met in the lights of the stage. Did he still have her number? Had he dropped it or had someone clawed at his hand and torn it?  
  
  
Kyra buried her face into her pillow and closed her eyes, convinced she'd never hear from him. People must have thrown their phone numbers at him multiple times, taped onto bunches of flowers and other various items they threw onto the stage. One more wasn't going to make a difference to the rock star, but there was one tiny detail that still gave her some small hope. He'd risked injury just reaching out to her right at the very end of last night's show, in a panic she had thrust the phone number into his hand but then he was hauled away from her and she was pushed back by the throng of people trying to hold onto him.  
  
  
"Kyra!" her friend, Liz, called up the stairs, "hey, Kyra! That guy you've been stalking for the last few weeks is on the phone!"  
  
  
Kyra lay there for a moment, letting her words sink in before she suddenly jumped up and fell out of bed. She clumsily got up and hurried downstairs, taking the phone from a smirking Liz, who was making silent kissing faces at her. Kyra shoved her gently away and swallowed nervously.  
  
  
"David?" she asked, hoping she wasn't about to hear some asshole prankster laughing at her on the other end.  
  
  
But it was not a prank, it really was him and Kyra went into her automatically calm frame of mind during their short conversation. She was so nervous, she forgot to tell him her name before she realized she'd hung up on him. She stood there, quivering for a full minute before she finally opened her mouth and started squealing. She jumped up and down, hugged a very unnerved Liz and squealed again. Racing back upstairs to shower and change her clothes at least a dozen times or more, Kyra got ready to meet her hero and hoped that he wouldn't find her too boring or too keen on him. She picked up a framed photograph that she had of David, looking at his intense eyes and admiring his easy going smile.  
  
  
How her heart had fluttered each time he looked at her, but she knew it wasn't going to last. He'd meet her and discover just how plain and boring she was and the mystery of the nameless woman in the crowd would be gone. She had managed to get his attention, arouse his curiosity and he had called for her. He was doing the chasing, not the other way around and it made her feel so good! But what could she possibly offer someone like him? He was so interesting and very well traveled, she'd never been out of her home town until she had made the sudden decision to follow him around this year while he toured. What kind of conversation could she possibly have with him, that would not end up making him want to leave?  All too soon it was time to go, but the traffic was against her this afternoon and she showed up 45 minutes late.


	6. Face To Face

Of course he was not going to be there, but she went in anyway because she could really use something thick and chocolate to help her feel better for standing him up. Believing he had left half an hour ago, Kyra looked around for somewhere to sit and her gaze met with his. She froze in disbelief for a moment, there was no way he was still sitting there waiting for her! Quickly, she flashed him a smile and approached his booth, seated herself right across from him and looked at him nervously.  
  
  
"Hi, I'm Kyra," she said with a blush of her cheeks, "sorry I'm so late.. the traffic's hell out there today.. "  David sat back and regarded her with curiosity, she was definitely the face from the front row and she now had a name to go with it.  
  
  
"Pleasure to finally meet you, Kyra," David smiled easily back at her, "I figured as much, I couldn't even get a cab to stop." Kyra felt more at ease, she'd kept him waiting nearly an hour and he wasn't even upset.  
  
  
"Can I get you a coffee?" David offered, hoping to further break the ice between them.  
  
  
"Oh! Thanks," Kyra hadn't expected that, "uhm, a hot chocolate would be great, though."  
  
  
"Sounds lovely," David agreed, ordering two. Kyra took a deep breath, doing her best to appear as calm as possible while her mind was just screaming and fangirl-ing all over him.  
  
  
David noticed the excitement in her eyes, appreciating the way she seemed to be able to contain herself. As they eased into conversation, David was his usual delightfully charming self and Kyra felt so much more relaxed in his presence. She told him about her friend Liz, who was letting Kyra stay with her until she found a place of her own. She found him amusing, intelligent and very witty but the thing that she loved best was that he listened to her. His interest was honest and not just there for show or to be polite, he was genuinely interested in what she had to say and he didn't make her feel like she was droning him off to sleep. In the back of her mind, she was dreading the moment they would have to go their different ways.  
  
  
From time to time, David was distracted away from Kyra by a fan or two wanting his autograph but Kyra didn't mind at all. It just made her feel all the more important, because she got to be sitting with him and everyone else had to eventually go away.  
  
  
"So what can we expect from you now that your tour is over?" Kyra asked him, finishing up her drink.  
  
  
"I've got a few projects I'm working on," David replied.  
  
  
"Never could sit still," Kyra teased him with a smile, "you've only just come off tour."  David laughed quietly, she knew him too well in that respect.  
  
  
"I guess I'd better be going," Kyra reluctantly decided she'd taken up enough of his time by now.  
  
  
"Alright," David was not keen to end their conversation just yet but he didn't want to hold her up if she had other places she needed to be, "I'd like to see you again sometime."  Kyra beamed brightly at him, she took a deep breath and let it out slowly again.  
  
  
"That would be great!" Kyra agreed, "I would really love it if you and I could be friends, David."   
  
  
Just friends it would be then, but that's what he'd planned all along.  
  
  
"Of course," he nodded, handing her a card, "this is the hotel I'm staying at, if you'd like to call or drop by sometime.. "  
  
  
Kyra took the card and leaned down to kiss his cheek, she bid him a hurried goodbye and left the cafe but her car took a while to start because her hands were shaking so badly with excitement.  
  
  
Back inside the cafe, David sighed heavily. He hadn't managed to get very far with her but felt compensated that she wanted to keep in touch. He left money on the table and went outside, lit up a cigarette and leaned back against the wall. Will was waiting for him in the car, so he took his time and thought about heading to the studio for a couple of hours.  
  



	7. The Boyfriend

  
Suddenly, he was grabbed and shoved hard into the wall he was leaning on. David dropped his cigarette in surprise, as a man got up in his face and glared angrily at him. Will was already out of the car, heading towards them quickly.  
  
  
"What do you think you're doing with my girlfriend?" demanded the guy, "Kyra's _not available_ , got it, pal?!"  Will hauled the guy away from David, who could feel his heart racing now.  
  
  
"Nothing happened, alright?" David told him firmly, keeping his shaking under control in front of everyone.  
  
  
"You fucking rock stars are all the fucking same!," the guy spat, angrily trying to lunge at David, "you stay the fuck away from Kyra! Fucking _crack head!_ " He pushed away from Will and stormed off. Will let him go and took David gently by the arm, ushering him into the back of his car and driving away from the curb.  
  
  
"You alright, sir?" asked Will. David looked out of his window, he had certainly not expected such a rapid turn of events to occur. He noticed that Will was headed for the hotel, so he sat up straighter and furrowed his brow lightly.  
  
  
"No, take me to the studio please, Will," David said quietly. Will nodded and took the next right turn.  
  
  
*  
  
  
Kyra arrived home in such an elated mood, she practically twirled around the place.  
  
  
"Oh hey!" Liz greeted her, "how did your _date_ go?"   
  
  
"It wasn't a _date_ ," Kyra answered her, "and it went super awesomely great, thanks!" Liz chuckled at her.  
  
  
"Did Matt find you alright?" Liz asked her. Kyra faltered and almost toppled over.  
  
  
"Matt?" she asked, "you told _Matt_ where I was??"   
  
  
"Well yeah," Liz replied, nodding, "he came here asking for you."  
  
  
"Liz!" Kyra whined, grabbing her keys again.  
  
  
"Where are you going?!" Liz demanded.   
  
  
"To see if David's alright!" Kyra bit back, annoyed with her friend. She opened the door, but stopped short when she saw Matt standing there.   
  
  
"Matt!" Kyra was shocked to see him.   
  
  
"Hey Kyra," Matt greeted her, but he was not smiling, "got something you maybe wanna tell me, huh?"   
  
  
"Matt calm down," Kyra told him firmly, "it was nothing!"  
  
  
"I _saw_ you _kiss_ the fucker!" Matt raised his voice.  
  
  
"Oh the _cheek!_ " Kyra blushed angrily, "we're just friends, Matt!"  
  
  
"Whatever," Matt pushed past her and entered the house, "you won't hear from him again in a hurry anyway."  
  
  
"What did you do?!" shouted Kyra, her heart sinking down into her stomach when Matt smirked silently back at her, "if you've hurt him, I'll-..!!"   
  
  
"You'll what?" Matt sneered at her, "I didn't touch the _fucking queer_ , his _fucking faggot_ bodyguard stopped me."   
  
  
"Ugh!" Kyra almost pulled her own hair out, if Matt had confronted David then that was it, friendship over, "sometimes I just can't _stand_ you!!"  She went upstairs to her room to cool down, before she acted on her desires to punch Matt in the face.  
  
  
"Matt, that was really nasty," Liz scolded him, "even for you, what the _fuck?!_ "   
  
  
"I know," Matt sighed heavily, "I had a bit to drink that's all."   
  
  
"Well you're going to have to say you're sorry," Liz told him firmly, "she really looks up to David Bowie and you've just called him some really awful names."   
  
  
"Aw _shit_ , Liz," Matt sat down on the sofa, "she's a great girl and all but this thing she has for that.. "   Liz gave him a stern glare.   
  
  
"That _Bowie guy_ ," Matt chose his words more carefully this time, "it makes me jealous."   
  
  
"Well don't let it get to you," Liz said quietly, "he makes her happy, that's all it is. She really loves you, Matt but if you give her enough reasons to stop; you're not going to do yourself any favors." Matt leaned back into the sofa cushions.  
  
  
"She's not in love with him?" Matt asked.   
  
  
"No," Liz replied firmly, "she's in love with you. But you need to back off and let her have friends that aren't women, or she's going to end up resenting you."   
  
  
"Alright," Matt nodded, "but if I ever find out he's coming on to her, I'll rearrange his pretty, little _face_.. "  Liz shook her head disapprovingly, Kyra was going to have to be very careful if she planned on seeing Bowie again.


	8. A Hazardous Friendship

The next day, David woke up on his studio floor with a stiff neck. He sat up and stretched, then got to his feet and rubbed his neck a little before grabbing up his guitar and heading out again. He'd been caught last week with the wrong crowd and now he had a bit of community service work to make up for his bad decision to hang out with them. He had been given a choice, either picking up road kill or giving some free guitar lessons to people who couldn't afford to pay for them. The idea of scraping dead animals off the road really didn't appeal to the rock star, so he had opted to give the free lessons and today was his first day giving them.  
  
  
*  
  
  
Kyra was also up early that morning, Liz came down just in time to see her heading out the door.  
  
  
"Where's the fire?" Liz asked.  
  
  
"I promised Jamie I'd take him to his guitar lessons this week," Kyra explained.  
  
  
"Oh, are those back on again?" asked Liz.  
  
  
"Apparently," nodded Kyra, "it's just a way of keeping people out of prison for minor offenses."  
  
  
"They're getting creative with it," Liz smiled.  
  
  
"Or desperate," Kyra laughed, "see you later, Liz."  
  
  
Kyra went out to her car and drove off towards Jamie's apartment, thinking how good it'd be to watch him learn some more tunes on his guitar again. The lessons were only free because the instructors were just doing it for the community service hours it got them, so if nobody was breaking the law or if they chose something else; there wouldn't be any lessons until next time. Jamie got into her car, excited to get there and Kyra listened to his happy chatter all the way there. Once they arrived, Kyra walked inside with Jamie and sat over by the wall to watch.  
  
  
There was quite a turnout today, most of the people were young adults like herself but there were also one or two teens like Jamie, as well. Kyra was sitting with some other people who were just there to watch their friends, while everyone else sat on chair just in front of a low stage. On that stage, was a chair for the instructor and when he finally arrived; Kyra could not believe her eyes.  
  
  
*  
  
  
David stepped out onto the small stage and smiled at the people who were eagerly awaiting their guitar lesson for today. He sat down on the chair, introduced himself and started the lesson quite smoothly. Kyra was amazed at his patience and skill, even the ones who hadn't ever held a guitar before were soon strumming along easily with the others. David found it quite a lot of fun, he told them amusing anecdotes about himself and made them all feel at ease by occasionally strumming the wrong note and laughing at himself along with them if they noticed.  
  
  
Kyra got up after the lessons were over, she told Jamie to wait for her and she hurried after David as he turned to leave.  
  
  
"David!" she called to him. David stopped and turned around, looking at her curiously.  
  
  
"Kyra," he spoke in surprise, "how did you know I was here?"  
  
  
"I didn't," Kyra admitted, "I'm here with Jamie."  
  
  
"Oh okay," David smiled at her now, "bright boy."  
  
  
"I know," Kyra agreed, "David listen, about yesterday.. I'm really sorry about Matt.. "  
  
  
"Matt is it?" David shuddered involuntarily, "you kind of forgot to mention him yesterday."  
  
  
"I am really sorry," Kyra apologized again, "I had no idea Liz told him where we were."  
  
  
"Are you hurt?" they both asked at the same time. Kyra blushed and averted her eyes, shaking her head lightly.  
  
  
"No," she replied first.  
  
  
"I'm fine," David assured her, "but perhaps we shouldn't do this anymore."  
  
  
"Oh no, please!" Kyra grabbed his arm, "you're such a great guy, David, don't let him push you away from me. I really want to be close to you."  David carefully prised his arm out of her grip, taking a step back from her nervously.  
  
  
"Kyra, guys like that are dangerous to my health," David told her firmly.  
  
  
"It's cool, I swear," Kyra said to him quickly, "I explained to him we're just friends and he's okay with it now."  David hesitated, because he wasn't convinced and also; he didn't know for certain if he could honor that last remark. He really liked her and it'd be hard for him not to flirt with her, or even try to kiss her.  
  
  
"I don't know," he looked reluctantly at her, then turned away slightly.  
  
  
"I understand," Kyra said quietly, "I really do, but please don't let him ruin what we have."  He looked back at her now.  
  
  
"What do we have, Kyra?" he questioned her.  
  
  
"An understanding," Kyra replied, "a mutual respect for one another, a good, solid foundation for friendship if ever I saw one."  David pursed his lips and then smiled at her, how could he argue with that?  
  
  
"Alright then," he agreed at last, "but perhaps in future, you don't let Liz know where we are, hm?"  
  
  
Kyra beamed at him and nodded, glad for the second chance he was giving her. What a stroke of luck running into him again, for she knew now that her fears had been correct and he'd had no intentions of speaking to her again in fear of being beaten up by Matt.  



	9. Loyalty

Kyra dropped Jamie off back at his apartment and drove home again, it was distressing to know just how close she had come to losing such an amazing friend out of her life. She needed to sit down properly and have a long, solid talk with Matt and ensure this would never happen again. She wanted to believe him but when Matt started drinking, all of his promises simply flew out of the window and it had to stop.  
  
  
*   
  
  
David went back to the hotel and checked out, deciding instead to stay with his friend Lara, who lived closer to the studio. He was shown the spare room, where he unpacked his things and then sat on the bed with a heavy sigh. Of course he had more than one studio, so he didn't need to stay here and he had plans to leave once his community service hours were all up but now he wasn't so sure. He had plenty of reasons to go and only one reason to stay.  
  
  
"You seem tense," said Lara, climbing onto his bed and sitting up behind him. David closed his eyes, feeling her hands running over his shoulders and down his arms.  
  
  
"Wanna talk about it?" she asked him.  
  
  
"Not really," David replied quietly. Her fingers deftly unbuttoned his shirt and he shrugged it off, letting it drop to the floor. Lara began to massage his shoulders and back, eliciting a soft sigh of relief from him.  
  
  
"Wow, your muscles are so tight!" Lara sounded surprised, "are you okay?"  
  
  
Her thumbs pressed deeply into his upper back and David moaned in response. Lara chewed on her bottom lip hard, she and David had been friends for a while now but she still wasn't sure if it was okay to go any further. She really wanted to, but worried that she'd lose his trust and make things weird between them. This was not the first time she'd given him a brief massage but it was the first time he had stayed at her place and it made her feel slightly bolder. She leaned in close to his ear, planting a soft kiss just beneath it and he turned around to face her. Lara cupped his face and kissed his mouth, feeling his hands come to rest on her hips. She wrapped a leg around his midsection, pulling him down to lay with her on the bed. Enticing his mouth open with her tongue, Lara moaned into the kiss as they started to make out and David's hands ran up along her ribs to slip in underneath her bra. Lara arched her back, feeling his hands squeeze her breasts and she moaned desperately. But then David pulled away suddenly, a light furrow on his brow.  
  
  
"What's wrong?" panted Lara, dizzied by his sexual prowess and wanting to continue.  
  
  
"It doesn't feel right, Lara," David replied, "sorry luv.. "   Lara was confused, but she sat up and touched his arm gently.  
  
  
"Did something happen?" she asked him quietly.  
  
  
"No," David got up off the bed and put his shirt back on, "I just don't feel comfortable right now."  
  
  
"Oh.. Okay," Lara stood up off the bed and wandered over to the door, "well, if you change your mind.. "  
  
  
David nodded and she left the room, so he shut the door behind her and leaned against it with a puzzled expression. This had never happened before, what was going on? He was aroused and lost in the moment but then suddenly he felt terribly guilty. But why? He wasn't in a serious relationship right now, so he really had no need to feel out of sorts..


	10. Under My Skin

It was but a minute's walk from Lara's place to the studio, so David spent a lot of time there that day and by evening he felt much better. He stepped outside and lit up a cigarette, glancing around himself to make sure he was not about to be caught unawares again. But he wasn't too worried because Will had been sticking close to David ever since the incident with Matt, even now he was just a few feet away reading the newspaper. It was starting to get dark, so David turned and started to walk back to Lara's place, finishing his cigarette and putting it out before letting himself in. Will got up and folded the newspaper under his arm, let the rest of the team know where David was and then went home to sleep for the night.  
  
  
*  
  
  
Lara watched David push his food around his plate, it worried her that he wouldn't eat.  
  
  
"Something's bothering you," she spoke up at last, "I do wish you wouldn't clam up like this, it does you no good, David!"  He sighed and pushed the plate away from himself.  
  
  
"I was fine an hour ago," he muttered, standing up and retreating to his bedroom.  
  
  
Lara felt frustrated, David had a habit of bottling things up inside of himself and allowing bouts of depression to consume him. She had to get him away from the city maybe but he couldn't abandon his community service commitment. She got up and went to the bedroom, opening the door silently and looking in at him. David's clothes were on the floor, he was in the bed and he was already asleep. Lara crept back out and looked sadly at the floor, he must have been so exhausted. Perhaps not physically, but maybe emotionally or was it something else? She wished he would open up to her but it took a lot of trust building to have that kind of rapport with David and she simply hadn't reached that point with him yet.  
  
  
*  
  
  
Kyra tried to call David at the hotel he was staying in but they told her he'd checked out already, so now she had no idea how to get in touch with him until tomorrow when she took Jamie to his guitar lesson.  
  
  
"Kyra," Liz walked in and smiled at her, "hey, Matt's here."  Kyra put the phone down and went to the living room, she saw Matt standing there with a bunch of wilted flowers and an open box of half eaten chocolates.  
  
  
"Is this an apology?" asked Kyra with a smirk, folding her arms.  
  
  
"Um, yeah.. " Matt looked embarrassed, "maybe a bit of a mangled one, though."  He sat the gifts down onto the coffee table and they sat together on the sofa.  
  
  
"I'm really sorry about what I said and did," Matt spoke quietly, "I didn't really mean it, you know that right?"  
  
  
"I know," Kyra took his hand into her own, she liked him so much more when he was sober.  
  
  
"Wanna go out someplace?" he asked her.  
  
  
"I have to get up early and take Jamie to his guitar lesson," Kyra said tiredly.  
  
  
"Great, I'll come with you and we can go out after it's over," Matt suggested. Kyra faltered, she couldn't have Matt sitting there when David was around; it could spark trouble.  
  
  
"Why don't I meet you somewhere?" she told him, "the students aren't very good yet, you'll only want to block your ears."  
  
  
"Alright," Matt agreed, "so, are we good now?"  
  
  
"Yeah," Kyra smiled at him, "we're good."  
  
  
"Cool," Matt leaned in and hugged her tightly, "wanna go to bed?"  He put his hand on her thigh.  
  
  
"Matt, no.. " Kyra squirmed away, "I told you, I've gotta get up early!"  
  
  
"Okay fine but you owe me one tomorrow then," Matt got up and kissed her goodbye, then he went home and Kyra went upstairs to her bedroom to sleep; exhausted.  
  
  
Sometimes, Matt was very nice but other times he was quite vulgar and demanding. When she'd first met him, he was really sweet but his friends had encouraged him to start drinking and since then he hadn't been the same. He had never raised his hand at Kyra, but the instant she felt unsafe she knew it would be over between them. She was thinking of ending it if he didn't quit drinking soon and she was nervous about it because he would likely blame David and go after him.  
  


 


	11. Coming To Blows

Kyra watched David be his usual cheeky, bubbly self with his students and she couldn't help smiling at their antics together. She had taken Jamie to guitar lessons many times but this was the first time any of them had sounded any good or had so much fun learning. Everyone left with such bright smiles, she really had to hand it to David. She approached him as he was putting his guitar away into it's case, he paused when she reached him and looked at her. Kyra knew she had his undivided attention, something she was not used to with men because normally they just kept doing whatever they'd been doing while she spoke to them.  
  
  
"I couldn't reach you at the hotel," Kyra said quietly, "are you avoiding me?"  David smiled slightly at her.  
  
  
"Yes," he answered playfully, "but I just can't seem to get rid of you." Kyra laughed amusedly, feeling more at ease.  
  
  
"Actually I'm staying with a friend right now," David told her honestly, "she lives very close to the studio, plus she doesn't charge me anything so.. "  He shrugged.  
  
  
"Oh that's nice," Kyra couldn't help but feel the sting of jealousy when he revealed his friend was a woman, "can we do something sometime? Just you and I?"  David chewed his bottom lip with an expression of reluctance, his heart thumping suddenly with nerves.  
  
  
"What's the matter?" asked Kyra, "would your friend disapprove?"  David looked at her strangely now.  
  
  
"What? No, it's not like that," he replied firmly, "she's just a mate."  
  
  
"I see," Kyra only half believed him, "then what is it?"  David hesitated, he wanted to say so many things to her that were just so inappropriate right now.  
  
  
"I've just got so much to do," he said quietly, for that was all he could think of that would let her down gently. Kyra had noticed his hesitation and she just knew that it actually had everything to do with Matt because David was his own boss and he didn't have to do a damn thing all day if he didn't feel like it.  
  
  
"David, Matt is not going to hurt you just for talking to me," Kyra reassured him, "I told you yesterday, he's fine with us being friends." She touched his arm and smiled at him, trying to encourage him to be more relaxed around her. David felt his heart race at her touch, if only it were so simple.. He took her hand into his own, looking into her eyes meaningfully.  
  
  
"Kyra I can't do this," he said softly, "the truth is, I.. "   
  
  
"So," Matt's drunken, angry voice gave them both a start, "this is why you didn't want me to come here is it?"  David grew pale and took a few steps back, letting go of Kyra's hand. Kyra took a step towards Matt, squinting at him.  
  
  
"What the fuck, Matt?" she threw her hands into the air, "it's not even 9am and you're already drunk?!"  
  
  
"Don't change the subject, Kyra!" Matt stumbled closer, pointing at David shakily, "he was holdin' yer fuckin' hand!"  David swallowed dryly, his wide eyes fixed upon the fired up Matt.  
  
  
"Matt, you told me you wouldn't do this!" Kyra pulled at his arm, but he wasn't listening.  
  
  
"You're gonna be one sorry little fag boy," Matt sneered at David.  
  
  
"Matt!" Kyra pulled at his arm harder and he shoved her to the ground.  
  
  
Kyra fell hard onto the floor and felt pain shoot up all along her side, she felt the breath escape from her lungs and struggled to fill them back up again. David's eyes grew dark at the sight of Kyra on the ground and he stepped forwards to meet with the approaching drunk, they circled each other for a moment and Matt lunged at David with both fists punching at him. David blocked the first one but the second one connected with his jaw and he stumbled backwards a short distance. Matt kept coming at him and David held his throbbing jaw with one hand, while making a fist with the other. If he had to fight, then he would but he didn't fancy his chances with this guy..

 


	12. Misplaced Chivalry

David wasn't much of a fighter but he had the advantage of being quicker than the slow witted drunk, that advantage would have been lost if Matt had turned up sober. He dodged the next punch and Matt stumbled, David turned sharply and pushed him down onto the floor. Matt face planted and when he sat up, his nose was gushing blood. Kyra felt herself being lifted up and she got to her feet with David's help, she hadn't seen what happened between the two men but she saw Matt's nose and gasped.  
  
  
"Matt!" she rushed over to him, "oh my gosh, are you okay?"  She looked at David in disbelief.  
  
  
"I expected better from you!" she snapped at him, helping the dazed Matt to his feet, "come on.. let's get you home.. "  She shook her head in disappointment at David, leading Matt outside to clean him up.  
  
  
David stood there for a few minutes longer, still nursing his jaw carefully. In silence, he turned back to his guitar and finished packing it away before heading back to Lara's place. As he walked in the door, Lara took one look at him and instantly got to her feet.  
  
  
"What happened to you?" she asked him, concerned.  
  
  
"Ice pack, please luv," David avoided the question. Lara got him an ice pack and she held it to his jaw, David winced and gingerly took it from her.  
  
  
"Thanks," he said, slowly sitting down on the sofa.  
  
  
"So you're getting into brawls now?" Lara looked at him in disapproval, "I thought you were smarter than that." David closed his eyes, he really didn't want to do this right now.  
  
  
*  
  
  
Kyra got Matt's face cleaned up with some moist tissues and drove him back to Liz's house, sending him to bed to sleep it off.  
  
  
"What happened?" asked Liz, lifting a brow.  
  
  
"You won't believe it," Kyra sighed heavily, "David hit him!"  
  
  
"What? No.. " Liz shook her head, "he wouldn't do that."  
  
  
"I know, right?" Kyra agreed, "that's what I thought too!"  
  
  
"Well, what did Matt do?" asked Liz.  
  
  
"I don't know," Kyra was hesitant, "I was talking to David and Matt came in when David was holding my hand."  
  
  
"I can probably guess the rest," smirked Liz, "I'm going to say it was self defense."  
  
  
"Maybe," Kyra calmed down a little, suddenly realizing what she'd done, "oh shit, Liz! I shouted at him.. "   
  
  
"He won't remember," Liz reassured her, "he's drunk."  
  
  
"No," Kyra looked upset now, "I mean I shouted at David for hitting Matt!"  
  
  
"Why?" asked Liz.  
  
  
"Matt's drunk!" Kyra explained, "it wouldn't make for a fair fight!"  
  
  
"Oh dear," Liz sighed, "honey, I'm afraid you're going to have to choose between them. Matt will never trust David and David will never talk to you again if he thinks Matt's going to come bursting through the door every time he sees you!" Kyra slowly sank down into the armchair and Liz made her a hot coffee.  
  
  
"Oh Liz," Kyra accepted the mug, looking up at her friend with tears in her eyes, "how do I choose?"  
  
  
  



	13. The Cat's Out Of The Bag

For the rest of the week, David was so immersed in his work that Lara barely saw him. It worried her because she knew he would be just about killing himself with keeping busy and none of his other friends had seen him for a while, either. Each morning, David would nervously watch as Jamie entered the building for his lessons but there wasn't any sign of Kyra because she'd opted to sit in the car while she waited. She wouldn't leave him there all alone because Jamie was a beautiful, young Down Syndrome teen and she was worried for his safety.  
  
  
She knew David wouldn't tolerate any abuse within the group, but letting Jamie walk home or linger around waiting for her to pick him up was just asking for trouble. It was on the final day of lessons that Kyra finally entered the building, just after everyone started walking out. She saw Jamie giving David a hug to thank him for his contribution here and David smiled at Jamie, telling the teen he'd miss him a lot. David's gaze then flicked to Kyra and his smile faded to be replaced with an expression of unease, but Kyra approached him anyway.   
  
  
"Hello Kyra," David greeted her, trying to be casual about it but she saw right through him, "it's been a while."   
  
  
"It has," Kyra agreed, "David, we need to talk."   
  
  
"No, we really don't," David was keen to leave and Kyra could tell but still he offered her nothing less than his undivided attention.   
  
  
"I want to tell you that I think I've found a way that we can make this work," Kyra insisted. David was still nervous, but he waited to hear her out.  
  
  
"I'm listening," he said quietly.   
  
  
"Matt?" Kyra turned and Matt walked into the room. David tensed up instantly and took a step backwards.  
  
  
"Chill 'kay?" Matt told him, "I ain't here to fight ya."   
  
  
"Matt's agreed to behave himself," Kyra told David, "I really think you two should become friends."   
  
  
"You're not _serious?_ " Matt laughed.   
  
  
"I really have to be going," David was very uncomfortable.  
  
  
"Just listen!" Kyra told them both, "if you guys can just be friends then I don't need to choose between you."  They both looked at her in surprise.  
  
  
"Where'd that come from?" asked Matt, "you been talking to Liz again?"   
  
  
"Liz thinks it's a good idea too," Kyra nodded, "Matt, I really care about you but I want you to be okay with me having male friends."    
  
  
"Women shouldn't hang around other men when they've got a boyfriend already," Matt insisted, "it's not right."   
  
  
"But men can have girl company?" Kyra snapped back at him.   
  
  
"Nope, I mean look at this guy," Matt gestured to David, who was watching them tensely, "you there, how many women friends have you got.. that you _haven't_ kissed, eh? Go on, how many?"   David averted his gaze and Matt shrugged.  
  
  
"See?" he boasted, "can't happen. Hey Bowie, why don't you tell Kyra how you _really_ think about her.. "  Matt looked at Kyra.   
  
  
"How every time you look at her mouth, ya just wanna shove your dick inside," Matt chuckled, clearly on something other than alcohol today, "or how about when she bends over and you just wanna get all up in that shit.. " He thrust his hips and Kyra looked at him in disgust.  
  
  
"You're such a _pig!_ " she scolded him in disbelief, "that's _all_ you think of me?!"   
  
  
"You love it," Matt waggled his tongue at her and she slapped him, hard. Matt didn't seem to feel it, but he shut his mouth for a while. This wasn't going the way she'd planned, Kyra felt the tears stinging her eyes again as she looked at David now.  
  
  
"Is that really how all you guys think?" she demanded of him. His gaze returned to hers, flicked nervously to the now silent Matt and then back to Kyra again.


	14. Kyra's Decision

"Don't listen to him," David told her, "he needs help. I know that you are a very intelligent woman, Kyra and you would not have fallen in love with this guy if he wasn't on the level with you in the beginning." Kyra swallowed a lump in her throat, because he spoke the truth and wasn't using Matt's stupid mistakes against him.  
  
  
"I wasn't ever looking to date her," David now spoke to the sullen Matt, "she's a great person and I seriously envy you, Matt. Don't let her get away just because your friends think it's funny to see you make an arse of yourself."  
  
  
"It's _ass_ , you _fuckin' pom!_ " Matt snarled at him. David ignored him.  
  
  
"Kyra," David turned to her once more, "when I look at you, my heart won't stop leaping into my throat.. Your touch sends it into overdrive and I can hardly breathe.. "   Kyra's bottom lip trembled at his beautiful words.  
  
  
"I know you and Matt have some issues to sort out," David went on, "but if you decide that you and I could be more than friends.. come to the show tonight."  Kyra's eyes widened as he handed her a ticket, front row, right where she always sat.  
  
  
"It opens at seven," he told her, picking up his guitar, "I'll understand if I don't see you. I really am very happy for you both to make things up."  He looked at Matt.  
  
  
"Good luck," he said quietly to the other man, who was swaying on his feet now.  
  
  
"What-fuckin'- ever," Matt wasn't listening.  
  
  
David pursed his lips into a thin smile and quickly exited the building, heading back to the studio for one last rehearsal before the show tonight. He'd been asked to do a few songs at the grand opening of a new night club and he had agreed, keen to try out some new material he'd been working on these past few days. Now he was even more nervous than he'd ever been before, would she be there tonight? Butterflies filled his stomach at the thought of looking down into the empty seat in the front row, making him feel sick.  
  
  
*  
  
  
Kyra took Matt back to Liz's house and both women sat down with him for a very long talk about his habits. Matt argued that David was far worse with the drug habits than he and kept refusing to stop doing them, but Liz and Kyra were patient. They warned him that if he did not stop drinking and doing drugs, that Kyra would ultimately have to dump him and nobody wanted that to happen. Matt argued that David did want it to happen, but Kyra insisted that he did not.  
  
  
The talk went long into the afternoon and well into the evening, Matt had calmed down by then and was talking more appropriately to them. He was sensible by the time they had dinner, he'd even apologized several times and wanted to make up for it. But Kyra wasn't sure of his sincerity, because this just seemed to keep happening and she didn't know how many more apologies she could possibly accept.  
  
  
*  
  
  
At 7pm, David looked up as the lights dimmed and he once again tripped on the little steps in front of him as he took to the stage. His breathing was shaky as the lights came back on and the crowd started to get noisy, his gaze cast quickly down but it was too dark to see anyone just yet. He nodded to the band, the intro began and he grasped the mic as he delved into the first number. The lights swept the front row and his gaze followed it, pausing on that one seat on the front row.. and he smiled.  
  
  
  
****  
  
=THE END=


End file.
